The Raccoon Valley Bank branch in Perry recently made an upgrade in order to be more energy efficient.

All summer long, the bank has been in the midst of installing new solar canopies over their parking lot and the project was commemorated with a ribbon cutting from the Perry Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. RVB President and Chief Executive Officer Terry Nielsen explained that a number of contractors helped complete the project over the summer, with the likes of Van Wall Energy, Elite Electrical, Harlan Concrete, and Hughes Excavation. He shares that the bank had the vision of putting up the solar canopies since 2023, and saw the impact they were making at their Dallas Center location.

Nielsen revealed that the decision to go with the canopies was because they believed it would be beneficial for the employees, and ways to offset the electrical needs at the bank. He elaborates on the positives this will bring the community.

“These have a long life to these panels and these inverters. The structure itself should provide us good return, about 98 to 99 percent of our energy needs will be funded through the panels. The other part about it is it’s very sustainable, and it’s clean, and we love it.”

Nielsen outlines the total cost for the project is around $1.4 million.